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General Fitness & HealthDiscuss general fitness. conditioning and health topics.

Please purchase the following books via the links below. Muscle and Brawn is an Amazon affiliate and receives a small portion of each sale.

Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training is the new expanded version of the book that has been called “the best and most useful of fitness books.” It picks up where Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners leaves off. With all new graphics and more than 750 illustrations, a more detailed analysis of the five most important exercises in the weight room, and a new chapter dealing with the most important donkeyistance exercises, Basic Barbell Training offers the most complete examination in print of the most effective way to exercise. BUY NOW

Practical Programming by Mark Rippetoe

Practical Programming offers a different approach to exercise programming than that typically found in other exercise texts. Based on a combined 60+ years of academic expertise, elite-level coaching experience, and the observation of thousands of novice trainees, the authors present a chronological analysis of the response to exercise as it varies through the training history of the athlete, one that reflects the realities of human physiology, sports psychology, and common sense. Contrary to the one-size-fits-all models of periodization offered elsewhere, Practical Programming explains the differences in response to exercise commonly observed between athletes at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels, explains these differences in the context of the relevant exercise science, and presents new training models that actually work for athletes at all levels of experience. Complete with new, innovative graphical representations of cutting-edge concepts in exercise programming, Practical Programming is sure to become a standard reference in the field of exercise and human performance. Contributor: Glenn Pendlay. BUY NOW

Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding by Robert Kennedy

Plenty of bodybuilding books were written in the 1980s, but the world has changed since then. How can a new bodybuilder achieve success with outdated information? This book is filled with the most up-to-date information available, offering tons of inspirational photos of the top bodybuilders of today. Encylcopedia of Bodybuilding teaches you how to: -Make the most of the genes you were born with -Shape your body to perfect proportions -Build major mdonkey in the shortest time - Use food and supplements as tools to carve out a superior physique -Chisel out definition with diet and cardio -Develop a posing routine that make you a winner. BUY NOW

Super Squats by Randall Strossen

We wrote the book on personal transformation: John Doe was an ordinary guy: Had a wife (girlfriend) and while he worked (was in school) full time and had a couple of hobbies, he also wanted to be bigger and stronger. John had no special genetic gifts and no interest in drugging up; plus, he had to keep the training routine and the accompanying diet very simple as well as extremely effective. Enter SUPER SQUATS, and six weeks later, the 150-pound, somewhat shaky version of John Doe had been replaced by a 180-pound fire breather who knew he could walk through walls, because he’d just done it. SUPER SQUATS is the definitive book on the cldonkeyic 20-rep squat routine . . . it’s been around for almost 75 years and it’s the system that turns scarecrows into musclemen. Whether you’re trying to outgrow your size small shirts or are hunting for a win at World’s Strongest Man, here’s the winning recipe when it comes to bulking up. 112 pp. BUY NOW

Combines the most effective exercises for all the major muscle groups with detailed, full color illustrations of the muscles used during the exercises. “Without question, this book is a must for anyone interested in strength training or in teaching strength training. No other book more clearly represents the functional anatomy of nearly every resistance training exercise. The illustrations are highly detailed and the material is accurate. This book will spend very little time on your bookshelf because you will constantly be referring to it.” BUY NOW

Brother Iron, Sister Steel by Dave Draper

Brother Iron, Sister Steel is a private journey into bodybuilding as only Dave Draper, former Mr. America, Mr. Universe and Mr. World, can tell it. Training techniques, exercise descriptions and nutritional strategies form the book’s foundation, but what glues this book together are Dave’s personal experiences and insights, humor and candidness, all of which speak to the heart and soul. The delight in the iron work, the play of the steel and the redefined motivation will have you striving forward to reach your fitness and training goals. Further your iron journey—or take your first steps—as you find yourself caught up in the style and rhythm that are Draper’s alone. You’ll see the lessons of Brother Iron, Sister Steel hit home as your training enthusiasm abounds. In your next match with the weights you’ll see the work of your muscles with new clarity under the guidance of Dave’s insight. BUY NOW

Brawn by Stuart McRobert

If you thought Arnold Schwarzenegger put Graz, Austria on the bodybuilding map, how about Stuart McRobert and Nicosia, Cyprus? Imagine, one man, on a Mediterranean island no less, who has the audacity to directly challenge most contemporary bodybuilding advice. Instead of being another me-too bodybuilding book, Brawn is unique: its tone is serious, its manner evangelical, but most importantly, its focus is on things that actually work for the average trainee. “Drugs are evil and the scourge of bodybuilding,” says McRobert, in effect “and forget about Mr O-type training - it just won’t work for most people. I’ll tell you some things that do work”. Brawn has most bodybuilding books beaten hands down in the depth department, but its biggest contribution just might be in breadth: Brawn introduces you to over 90 percent of the factors that will determine your ultimate success in the gym. This is a very useful book, which can help a lot of people to make tremendous bodybuilding progress. BUY NOW

Beyond Brawn by Stuart McRobert

This is a 512-page encyclopaedia on how to build a terrific physique. This encyclopaedia offers the key to your training success. By acknowledging your individuality, this book teaches you precisely how to train yourself. Become your own expert personal trainer! Whether you’re male or female, a beginner or very advanced, young or not-so-young, want to train at home or in a public gym, this book is for you. Apply what you learn and success will follow! The ‘how-to’ guidance includes: why conventional training is fundamentally wrong and must be bypdonkeyed; how to overhaul your training philosophy so that you’re destined for big gains; your ultimate size and strength potential, and the organisation to take you there; how to design and personalise your own training programs, step-by-step; how to conquer over training, maximise results, and never let age hold you back; how to eat in order to maximise your gains and improve your health; how to set up your own low-cost but super-productive home gym; and a real-life, step-by-step training cycle for you to learn from. BUY NOW

Combines the most effective exercises for all the major muscle groups with detailed, full color illustrations of the muscles used during the exercises. “Without question, this book is a must for anyone interested in strength training or in teaching strength training. No other book more clearly represents the functional anatomy of nearly every resistance training exercise. The illustrations are highly detailed and the material is accurate. This book will spend very little time on your bookshelf because you will constantly be referring to it.” BUY NOW

Just wanted to say, this is an excellent book, I ordered it a few days ago after having seen some of the pages on a youtube vid and am really pleased with it.

I am debating between Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding by Robert Kennedy
or Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding.

If I go with Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding by Robert Kennedy and the Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier, I was hoping give a little back to the forum by clicking the links posted above.

That makes sense, plus, I'm not sure if Arnold book may even be cheaper via the USA amazon store/link; I've seen that at times, they cost an arm and a leg on the UK one, for a second-hand book but via USA, you get a bargain and a brand new book to boot...best way is to just check them out, as you say, even place them in the basket see what the cost is and then delete if necessary etc.